Different field of battle

WHEN INDIANA defensive end Kevin Bush took the field against Towson last night, he looked like every other player.

Until you looked closer.

On his arm is a tattoo of a Bible verse - an indelible reminder of how he survived an Army stint in Iraq. On his wrist is a metal band, a tribute to a friend killed in the war.

Bush originally attended Toledo on a football scholarship but struggled academically and left to join the Army in the summer of 2006. Over the next 4 years, he spent 14 months in Iraq. Once, he said, he was driving a truck full of soldiers on a mission when the vehicle hit a mine and exploded. No one was killed, and oddly enough, Bush said he wasn't surprised by the incident.

"You know, you're bound to get blown up some time or other out there," he told the Associated Press.

While in Iraq he continued to work out and stay in shape. His plan was to play college football again.

"My biggest fear was getting hurt to the point that I'd lose a limb because then I knew I couldn't play," he said.

When Bush, from Fort Wayne, Ind., returned from war, he convinced Indiana coach Bill Lynch to give him a chance. Lynch is glad he did.

"I'd say he might bring more to us off the field than he does on it," Lynch said. "Having seen his work ethic and the way he practiced in the fall. I don't think you'd find too many 24-year-old guys who like being on the scout team. But, you know, he's been through a lot tougher things than this."

Happy ending to an ugly incident

 

Cowboys rookie receiver Dez Bryant doesn't hold a grudge.

Last night, before a preseason game against Miami, Bryant shook hands with Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland. They spoke, and Ireland patted Bryant on the chest before walking away.

Ireland, you'll remember, apologized in April for asking Bryant if his mother was a prostitute during a predraft interview.

- Tom Mahon

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